ISIS singles out Virginia senator as ‘crusader’ and ‘enemy’

Virginia state Senator Richard Black was among the three American “crusaders” quoted in the latest issue of the Islamic State’s propaganda publication Dabiq. The glossy magazine cited Black’s RT interview as being “words of the enemy.”

“Over the last month, a number of crusaders voiced their
concerns over the power and drive of the Islamic State, its
revival of Islam and the Caliphate, and its eventual expansion
into Europe and the rest of the world,” reads the
introduction to the feature on page 57 of the magazine’s eighth
issue, published last week.

In addition to Senator Black, the feature also cited comments by
former Pennsylvania Senator Rick Santorum and former CIA officer
Gary Berntsen, with their warnings about the threat posed by ISIS
framed in the context of endorsing the group’s strength and
appeal.

Black, who represents the 13th District in the Commonwealth of
Virginia Senate, spoke with RT last month and warned that US
efforts to back the rebels fighting against the government in
Damascus were aiding ISIS. Dabiq quoted the comments on page 58
and described Black as “the American Crusader.”

“If Damascus falls, the dreaded black and white flag of ISIS
will fly over Damascus,” Black told RT. “Within a period
of months after the fall of Damascus, Jordan will fall and
Lebanon will fall. ... I think you will automatically see a
beginning of a historic push of Islam towards Europe and I think,
ultimately, Europe will be conquered.”

The Capitol Police called me to inform me that ISIS published
my name in an article where they called me an... http://t.co/g3HWwq7jGG

“It is true, I am an enemy of ISIS,” Black said in a
statement Wednesday. “The quote that ISIS has selected for
its magazine demonstrates that I’m right on point, that I
understand their strategy clearly.” He added that the
magazine had carried a call to “terrorize ‘crusaders’ in
their own homes and streets” in the previous issue.

The other two “crusader” quotes in the magazine came
from Fox News shows. While calling ISIS terrorists, former CIA
officer Gary Berntsen also said, “ISIS has been brilliant in
its pushing out of propaganda. It has really sold itself to the
hundreds of millions of people around there that are looking for
a message.”

Meanwhile, Santorum had told ‘Fox and Friends’ that ISIS was a
caliphate and that it was “not losing ground. They are not
being discredited in the eyes of the Muslim world. They will get
stronger.” Dabiq described him as a “Catholic
crusader.”

“Well the difference is ISIS actually quoted me accurately
compared to the New York Times, which is sort of a remarkable
comment on the state of the media today,” Santorum told Fox
News on Wednesday. “They put it out because it accurately
describes who they are.”